The Reverse Avenger
by MusicJam
Summary: Harry Potter is in his seventh year at hogwarts. Dumbledore, Snape, Fred and Hedwig are alive and everything that happened in the seventh book is still about to happen. When Harry Potter looks into Severus Snape's mind, he feels that he has to make amends to him for how his father treated him all those years ago.
1. Chapter 1

If there was one thing Harry would have never expected, it was a trace of worry in Severus Snapes' face. It was almost anxiety. Panic.  
It happened yesterday in a private potions session with him, when Harry collapsed and found himself paralysed in Godric's Hollow, watching Loona Lovegood being tortured to death. God knows what he had really done. God knows what actually happened. Harry didn't know.  
But Snape did.  
And whatever happened, it must have been something really strange because that look on his face was the most extraordinary one he had ever seen.

It wasn't the incident itself that kept him awake this night. It was that certain look in Snapes' face that he couldn't interpret. It was a look he'd never seen that made him feel almost sorry for Snape for what happened; for what he'd done. It made him feel sorry for never really bothering to practise occlumency as everyone else had advised him to; Hermione Granger more than everyone else.  
Because Snape was the one who always cared about that. Now that he was thinking about it, Snape had always been eager to teach Harry in the most responsible and just way, yet it was Harry who had been ignorant and lazy.

He knew what was about to happen. The next day he would receive an owl from Dumbledore. Then he would go to his office and be told to continue his occlumency lessons with Snape.  
This time he wanted to try really hard. At least once. Because now he knew his potions teacher better than everyone else. He had looked into his mind. And he felt sorry.  
The teenage Snape had been in love with his mother and his father James had been a dick to everyone.  
In first grade Snape had insulted his father in his presence. Harry had been hating the professor since that day. But how could Harry have known what a bully his father had been? After all, he was his father and although Harry was angry and couldn't quite believe James had done such horrible things, he couldn't stop loving him, even though he'd never had the chance to meet his father. All he could do now was make amends to Snape. At least once. For once he wanted to try to be a good student.

He looked at the phosphorescent hands on Ron's alarm clock that his muggle-obsessed father had given him on his twelfth birthday.  
In four hours he would have to get up and start the normal day of school of a seventh grader. He'd better try to go to sleep now.

The crowing of a rooster woke him from a weird dream. It was Ron's alarm clock.

"For God's sake, Ron, can you stop using this clock?!"

There was a certain spell in Hogwarts that woke every student at the time they were supposed to get up.

"I didn't even set it!", Ron mumbled angrily, "Fred and George, I'm gonna kill them!"

They got dressed, brushed their teeth and stumbled into the Great Hall to have breakfast.  
Just as Harry was about to bite into his toast, he noticed it: an owl flew toward him and dropped a letter that hit his toast, making it drop on his plate.  
He recognised the headmaster's fine cursive handwriting.

_Good morning, Harry.  
I was worried when I heard about the incident that happened in your yesterday private lesson with Professor Snape. I'd like to ask you to come to my office right after breakfast. I have already talked to Professor McGonagall; you don't have to attend today's Transfiguration lesson and she will prepare some extra homework for you instead.  
The password is: apple tart  
Albus Dumbledore_

Harry wasn't sure if he should be happy or annoyed by the fact that he could skip Transfiguration to talk to Dumbledore about his most favourite subject with his most favourite teacher.

"What does it say, Harry?", Hermione tried to take the letter from him.

"Nothing", Harry said. He hadn't told his friends about what had happened yesterday and wasn't planning to if it wasn't tremendously necessary. They had a lot more to worry about themselves.

Hermione had selected four elective subjects and was chronically stressed. Ron was absolutely failing Potions class and had received a howler from his mother yesterday for that matter. The fact that he had started a fight with Malfoy over the last pair of earmuffs in Herbology didn't help the situation at all. What kind of Chosen One couldn't do anything on his own? He knew he had to prepare for Voldemort who was trying to kill him every second. Secretly, he was terrified but he told his friends different.

But Hermione wasn't satisfied with that answer. She looked at him angrily.

"Fine.", she said, "I will find out eventually and don't think I'm not mad at you now for lying to me. I do recognise Dumbledore's handwriting, too, you know. It is our seventh year in Hogwarts, you're of full age now, in case you've forgotten and there is next to nothing that can stop Voldemort from killing you in a heartbeat."

Of course she was right and he was sorry. But he couldn't tell her right now. He wanted to progress in occlumency first to have something to show them; to prove that he could take care of himself. He didn't want them to have to worry about him.

"Apple tart", Harry said and frowned when the stairs to Dumbledore's office didn't move. He heard something snore.

"WAKE UP!", he screamed and the stairs bounced angrily.  
"Apple tart", he said to the stairs yet again and they moved, "I'm sorry, I know it's early."

"Ah, Harry!", Dumbledore gave him a friendly smile, "Have a seat."

Harry took a seat on the big chair opposite to the headmaster who looked at him calmly.  
They remained quiet for a while. It was Dumbledore who broke the silence:

"I'm concerned about you. I think you're aware of the seriousness of this situation; that you need to be prepared for what is about to happen and will happen eventually."  
Harry nodded and when he didn't respond, Dumbledore continued:

"You know why you're here?"

"You want me to continue my okklumency lessons with Professor Snape, Sir."

"Precisely. I can't force you to do so but I think you're a clever boy and the differences you have had and might still have with Professor Snape shouldn't stop you from doing the right thing."

"I won't, Sir. I mean, I will give it a try."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Good. Will you tell me what you saw yesterday in your vision?"

Harry hesitated. There was something he needed to ask and he wasn't keen to do so. He was afraid of the answer. This morning he hadn't seen Loona anywhere. Although she could be a little nasty sometimes, she was still his friend and she had a good heart.

"Professor, how and where is Loona Lovegood?"

Dumbledore frowned and Harry explained:

"What I mean is, I saw Voldemort kill her in Godric's Hollow. For as long as I can remember I have always seen things that he did in the exact moment or things that were about to happen in the near future."

"Loona is alive and well; I've seen her myself this morning. She was late for breakfast as always."

Harry was relieved at first but then a terrible thought entered his mind.  
"Do you think he will harm her, Sir? Do you think she will be killed?"

"We will make sure she won't. She will be fine." Harry knew Dumbledore was just saying that to comfort Harry. He knew he was concerned himself because that was something new. Voldemort was just playing with Harry's mind now.

The door opened and a tall man with long, black hair entered the room.  
"Ah, Severus. Excellent. We're done here; Harry has already agreed to my offer."

"Good.", Snape said in a weird voice Harry had never heard before, "I will see you in my office this afternoon, Mr Potter, and you will receive an owl with our schedule at lunchtime. That'll be all"

"Thank you, Sir.", Harry said and left.

He still had an hour of Transfiguration and if he went to attend it, maybe he wouldn't have to do the extra homework Professor McGonagall scheduled.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry had a difficult time concentrating on the lesson.

What was about to happen this afternoon? What if he'd suddenly forget how to use occlumency? What if he'd faint again and see some of his friends die? What if he'd see Ron die, or Hermione? And he was still wondering what had happened when he had been unconscious. He imagined himself lie on the floor having some kind of fit or seizure, making weird noises and talk about Armageddon in a creepy voice. Like Professor Trelawney had done in third grade when she presaged his nearing death.

Harry cringed. He didn't want anyone to see him doing that. It was embarrassing. He had never asked anyone of his friends what he was doing when it happened, because he was terrified of the answer.

While Harry was brooding over all that, he made the mistake to look out of the window. It had started to snow and he watched one snowflake after the other land on the windowsill. Professor McGonagall who had just transformed the chalkboard into an eagle, levitated the bird to Harry's desk and let it peck his nose.

"Ouch!", Harry chuntered, angry about the eagle disturbing his thoughts. It was a very pretty bird. Its feathers had a slight golden hue, as had its beak. Its eyes, that were blinking at him in a sarcastic fashion, were orange with a touch of green. It almost looked like someone had crossbred an eagle with a phoenix. He was beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, did I interrupt your daydreaming?", Professor McGonagall admonished him, "I'm sure your personal homework will be very easy for you, if you're so bored in my class"

Well, great.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I wasn't paying attention. Could you repeat your question?"

"I didn't ask you anything", the professor answered in a stern voice. Malfoy chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Professor", Harry repeated.

With an awful lot of homework, his updated schedule as well as an occlumency book in his book bag, Harry scuffled to Professor Snape's office in the dungeons. All of a sudden he wasn't so keen to be a good student anymore. He was rather afraid, now that he thought about what might really happen during the visions. He didn't trust Snape enough to ask him. Neither did he want to bring up the topic with Ron and Hermione. They would know immediately that he was getting occlumency lessons again and he didn't want them to know. Not yet.

When he entered the room, Snape didn't greet him. He never bothered, it wasn't new to Harry, but this time he felt a little offended by that. Great start.

"Sit down", Snape hissed in his typical, slow voice, "Have you received my schedule?"

"Yes, Sir", Harry responded calmly, still standing up, "I did. Mondays and Tuesdays, five o'clock."

"Good."

When Harry wanted to take out the occlumency book out of his bag, Snape shook his head, took the book from him and placed it on the table.

"You won't need this in the lessons. Just see it as an opportunity to get answers when you have difficulties understanding something." Great, so in other words that meant he couldn't ask the professor if he had questions. This was just like the Dursley household. Only a bit more magical. Slightly.  
Snape navigated him to a chair in the middle of the room. Numerous carpets and cushions were placed on the floor. How very courteous.

"I said sit.", Snape repeated.

Snape's first try to discover the deepest secrets in Harry's mind was successful and more than embarrassing. Harry could feel that familiar hate boil inside him; that particular hate that only arose when Snape was mocking him. But he had promised himself to be nice to his Potions teacher and so he pulled himself together.

"You need to focus, Potter. I can tell you're not even trying. Where are your thoughts?"

Harry didn't want to tell him. After a moment he was glad he didn't, because the expression on Snape's face made it evident that the question was meant rhetorically. Snape continued:

"You have to ban me out of your mind. You have to imagine throwing me out of your personal door. Your thoughts are your property and only yours. Don't think! Act! Through thinking! Do you understand?"

Did that even make sense? Harry nodded. He was confused. This sentence was highly unusual for Snape's standards. 'Your thoughts are your property and only yours.' Years ago Snape would probably have done anything to take a look inside Harry's mind. So what was happening here?

They tried again and this time Harry could at least protect himself a little. He even tricked Snape through thinking that he was in love with his broomstick.  
The professor cocked an eyebrow.  
"Very funny, Potter. But this isn't one of your stupid jokes. When you want to defeat the Dark Lord, _if _you want to, one might say, you have to take this seriously. One last try."

The last attempt wasn't any better than the first one. Snape crashed into his mind very violently this time and Harry was so shocked that he couldn't even try to shield himself.  
He woke up lying on the cushions.

"What the...", Harry complained, "This is unfair, Professor, it has been a long time since our last occlumency lesson."

"Then I understand you haven't been practising at all. What a surprise. Read the first three chapters in your book. I'll see you on Monday. Dismissed."


End file.
